White Valentine
by Aeneid
Summary: Dawn gives a honmei choco to Paul. Ikarishipping. Spoilers for Episode 66 and up.
1. Chapter 1: Honmei

This is my Valentine's Day fanfic for Ikarishipping. Sorry for the late post. I've been very busy lately, and let's just say that I haven't been in the mood to finish this fic. I only managed to get this done right now... better late than never. :3

Just a warning. **Spoilers** for D&P 66 and up.

Dedicated to the readers of my ikarishipping works. :3

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

White Valentine

* * *

**Chapter 1: Honmei **

* * *

What possessed her to buy a very expensive _honmei _chocolate anyway?

All she remembered was that she was staring at the _honmei_ chocolate in Veilstone Department store that day, wondering how nice it looked and how yummy it would taste if she does get her hands on those. Arceus knows that she can never have those, because one box costs around twenty thousand Poke Yen. She may have the money, but she had far better things to worry about than to buy a box of imported chocolate from Hoenn.

Hikari knew how delicious those chocolates tasted like, because when Satoshi had received his _honmei_ chocolate some years ago, he gave her one piece of a Cocoa Truffle.

The taste of it was heavenly.

It was pure cocoa heaven, in her opinion.

Smiling to herself, she walked away from the _honmei_ chocolate stall, for she wanted to hurry up and go home to her apartment in the said city. There were still a lot of _giri_ chocolates to be packed by her…

Unfortunately, her luck turned for the worse.

As if she had been possessed, the seventeen-year-old suddenly grabbed one box and bought it along with the _giri_ chocolates.

Hikari only noticed it right after she had paid, when she had checked her purse. Only five thousand Poke Yen was left.

She nearly panicked and cried at the loss of her hard earn money just because of **a** _measly_ box of chocolate. The money for that _honmei_ chocolate was for her to indulge in, not for other people! Call her selfish, but she deserved to spend the money as she see fit. The blue-eyes young girl was living all alone now and was earning her own money. She was always careful about spending it because the girl knew already how important money was.

She just couldn't spend her hard-earned money easily!

But now, this suddenly happened?

She had the urge to return the _honmei_ chocolate and have a refund.

Besides, no one was deserving of that _honmei_ chocolate anyway…

_Of course there is._ Her naughty mind told her haughtily._ We both know you want to give Shinji those, like before. But of course, you didn't have any money._

She suddenly blushed at the thought.

'_N-no way I'm giving these chocolates to him!'_ she screamed to herself. _'Besides… he'll just throw it away.'_ Hikari was near to tears, thinking just how easy it would be for him to throw away her twenty thousand Yen chocolate in the trash. _You'll just throw away my twenty thousand THAT easily?!_ She screamed mentally at the said person.

He didn't care for anyone.

He was much too selfish and cold.

Frankly, he did not deserve her chocolates, nor anyone else's for that matter.

'_You mean **MY** twenty thousand Poke Yen worth chocolates!'_ She added angrily.

_Oh, you're much too harsh, my dear. _Her mind told her. _We both know, yet again, how much you adore him. Admit it!_

Ah, damn her noisy mind.

How could she deny her own feelings anyway?

The blue-haired girl sighed to herself. It has been quite some years since she had that stupid crush on Satoshi's Sinnoh rival, and to her surprise, instead of that 'stupid crush' fading away, it somehow evolved into something much more, for reasons she do not know. Hikari had to admit, he had the looks, but really, was he ALL that?

There were probably more men out there who better-looking than he was, really.

But why was it that her stupid heart chose him over the rest?

'_I'll just have to find out now, do I?'_ she rolled her eyes, going over to the gift wrapping counter of the department store. Since she had purchased a _honmei_ chocolate, the coordinator had the privilege of having it specially gift-wrapped.

She slowly watched as the saleslady expertly wrapped the said gift.

"There goes the money for Shinji…" she muttered to herself, eyes still on the box of chocolates.

She braced herself for anything that might happen later, when she gives him the _honmei _chocolate...

* * *

Shinji grimaced at the sight of the various cafés and stores in his hometown as he looked from the window of his house.

How he hated Valentine's Day.

That was his most hated day of the year. Not only was he stuck in his house for the whole day (unless he wanted to get mobbed by the girls), but Shinji had never been fond of sweets. He was alright with eating candies every now and then, but to be forced to eat a lot of chocolate on Valentine's Day would be pure torture on his part. Reiji always reminded him of how lucky he was to even receive a small box of chocolates because there were some boys who had never received a bar of chocolate from a girl their whole life. And the only proper thing to do, he said, was to eat the chocolates.

Who the hell was he kidding?

He did NOT want to sign his death contract so early in his lifetime!

The sugar will kill him.

He slightly shuddered at the thought.

"Any plans for today, Shinji?" asked his older brother.

"None." The younger of the two said grumpily. "This day was supposed to be an ordinary day, but what the hell are they doing? This is just a day wherein all department stores across the world gain a higher profit. Stupid marketing strategy."

Reiji laughed. "I'm not complaining." He said, pointing at the couch where there was a huge pile of chocolates. "I happen to like chocolate, and this is the only time of the year that I get a free supply of it."

Shinji looked away in disgust while his older brother laughed harder. "But really, you don't even have a date today?" the Pokémon breeder was concerned. "Shinji… you haven't had a girlfriend since the day you were born. Do you intend to join the NGSB?"**(1)**

_NGS what?_

The eighteen year old Shinji stared at Reiji. "NGSB stands for 'No Girlfriend Since Birth'. At this rate, I think you'll become a permanent member of theirs."

Laughter came from Reiji's mouth for the third time already.

Sorely, the Pokémon trainer was ready to bash his brother's head with a very thick book.

Before he could begin to look for a thick book (he was looking for a dictionary), the elder one was quick to say, "I'm going out for a little while, alright? Look after the Pokémon while I'm gone, okay?" before the trainer could even protest, Reiji was already out on the street. And the direction he was heading for happen to be the small park in the city.

Shinji sighed both in frustration and relief.

At least he would have some peace and quiet.

* * *

Hikari nervously strolled down the sidewalk, a box of chocolate on her arms.

She knew where Shinji lived, because Sumomo had been kind enough to point the direction as to where Reiji and he were staying. From her apartment, it was a long walk, but she didn't mind the distance. As long as she could give her chocolates in one piece, she would be fine. Of course, if Shinji doesn't accept it… well, there was always Reiji. Of course, she would have to tell him first that the _honmei_ chocolates are to be given to him as a _giri_ chocolate.

'_But no doubt, he'll love these.'_ She told herself, referring to Reiji.

It was a known fact that the handsome, older man loved chocolates.

"Hikari-kun!"**(2)**

Only one person called her that…

"Reiji-san!" as soon as he had approached her, she bowed at him. "How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, as always." He told her, eyes on the box. "Oh, chocolates? For me?" he teased.

Her eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets. "E-eh?!" _W-was that a joke or what!?_

He laughed heartily at the sight of the young Coordinator gaping at his rather bold statement. She looked funny. "I was just kidding, Hikari-kun."

_If Shinji acted like this, I think I'll get cardiac arrest._ Numbly, she nodded. "H-Hai…"

It really was a mystery as to how a ruthless trainer could have such a sweet, gentle older brother.

"So, what are you up to, Hikari-kun?"

She suddenly turned red at the moment she had been reminded of what her purpose was today. "A-anou… is… Shinji home?"

Somehow, at the back of his mind, the ponytailed young man knew that the coordinator would ask him such. He decided to play dumb. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Hikari shook her head vigorously. "N-no… I-I…"

"… will be giving him his Valentine's Day present, correct?" he guessed. Upon seeing a darker shade of red on her pale face, Reiji knew for a fact that that was the case. Hikari was going to give his brother a gift, but was she even aware of that tiny tidbit about his younger brother and chocolates?

"Yes, he's at home." He told her. "I'll be in the park in a little while, so if anything happens, go to the park. I'll meet you there, alright?"

"Hai!"

The two parted ways, and as she approached her destination, her heartbeat quickened, her pulse rate probably shot up at an all-time high, and her hands turned icy cold. The girl never felt this way before. During contests, she was nervous alright, but not like this! Never had she experienced her hands turning cold like ice! To calm down, she began humming a tune…

… And before she knew it, she was standing on the front door of the house.

Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell.

Several seconds later, the door opened, revealing Shinji.

But he wasn't alone, for he was carrying a Cherubi in his arms. Probably, he had been asked to take care of the Pokémon while Reiji was out.

She blinked at the sight before her, but before Hikari could even start daydreaming of how cute he looked holding a Pokémon in his arms, his voice snapped her back to reality. "What do you want?" he muttered.

"Oh! Ummm…" she started to hand over the box of _honmei_ chocolate when he suddenly interrupted her.

"Are those for Reiji? Funny that you're handing them over to me, and not giving it to him directly." Shinji told her in his usual arrogant voice.

She raised one slim eyebrow. "E-excuse me?" she clarified.

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Give it to Reiji directly, you troublesome girl." he hissed at her.

"No! These are not for him!" she insisted. "These…"

This was it.

No turning back now.

"Theseareforyou!" she screamed much too loudly and quickly for her own liking.

Before she realized what she was about to do, she shoved the box of chocolates straight at Shinji's face, earning a string of curses from him. Hikari cursed her stupidity. She had hit his nose!

Hikari looked up at him, checking to see if his nose was bleeding. Thankfully, it was nothing major. Just a small mark indicated the place where he had been hit.

"O-oh my, I am so…"

"Get out."

"W-what?" she didn't quite get what Shinji had told her, for many thoughts ran through her head.

"GET OUT, YOU STUPID GIRL! I DON'T NEED YOUR CHOCOLATES!" for the first time in years, the trainer had lost his temper. Shinji had always been known as a cool and collected trainer who rarely had outburst. But now, this was different. He was in pain, thanks to that troublesome girl's stupidity and clumsiness.

He still did not understand why she was still handing over those chocolates to him.

"B-but…!" she tried to explain her side, but unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood to listen anymore.

"Get your damn chocolate and get out!"

"FINE! Then I'll just give it to someone else!"

She got the point.

He didn't have to yell at her…

Before she knew it, tears were falling down from her eyes. As much as she wanted to control herself, Hikari couldn't. The pain in her chest was hard to ignore. She had braced herself for the rejection, but the girl did not anticipate that it would hurt her so much. "I… I get it already. I know you don't like me… it is obvious." She said, though it was more to herself.

Shinji was about to say yet another biting comment but the coordinator held up a hand to stop him. "I braced myself for this… but I really had no idea that it would be this painful. Sorry, I sound like a wimp… but that's how I feel right now.

"Actually, I was supposed to tell you something. I know you might just ignore this but… I just have to say it." Taking a deep breath, the blue-haired girl said it through choked sobs.

"I like you, Shinji."

No sappy lines.

No stupid declarations of never-ending love.

It was a very straightforward confession.

He was caught off-guard.

He did not expect this from her…

"Anyways… Happy Valentine's Day, Shinji… I hope you're happy now." Using her right hand, she wiped away the tears that temporarily blinded her sight. "I'll… see you when I see you, I guess."

_Or maybe never._ She thought bitterly.

Shoulders slumped, she walked away from the house, tears still falling down from her eyes. The chocolates were still on her arms, and she was holding unto it as if her life had depended on them.

Everything she had planned for today was a failure.

She decided to head to the park.

She needed to talk to Reiji.

* * *

As soon as Shinji went back inside the house, he suddenly felt guilty. Had he been too harsh? He didn't think so.

He felt confused.

Were the chocolates really for him, or was she merely making up an excuse? But then again, no one would be THAT insistent to give it to him.

Wait a minute.

Did she just confess to him awhile ago?

To his dismay and horror, the purple-haired trainer felt his pulse race at the thought.

She likes him?

To his horror, he felt… content.

Was it because it had been her who had liked him, and not some random girl who only knew him as 'that hot trainer'? That may be the case. Years ago, they DID meet up before, even if it had only consisted of one major fight between them wherein she almost kicked him in the face, it if wasn't for one of her male companions restraining her. Though he would not like to admit it, he was thankful for the restraining. He did NOT want to get injured just because of her.

Who knew what she was capable of?

Back to the current problem at hand, he did not know what to do next. He had no clue as to how to treat girls. Almost his whole life, his life revolved around Pokémon. He had no time for anything else, most especially girls…

What should he do now...?

* * *

Notes:

(1) NGSB - No Girlfriend Since Birth. I don't know if such a thing is true though. If it is, then it is so true in Shinji's case. XD

(2) Hikari-kun - This is how Reiji calls Hikari.

Notes on Japanese culture:

(1) Honmei - literally means 'favorite' or in some cases, 'sweetheart'. Honmei chocolate are given to the men whom women are serious about. In Hikari's case, since she was serious about Shinji, she gave him a honmei chocolate. These chocolates are very expensive and may even cost up to USD 200 (around €136) if the woman chooses to buy them from another country.

(2) Giri - literally means 'obligatory'. Giri chocolates are given to colleagues, friends, your boss, etc. In some cases wherein your friends give each other chocolates, you call that 'tomo chocolate'. Tomo means 'friend'.

You may also be wondering why it is the girls who give the chocolates and presents on Valentine's Day. In Japan, that is their custom. This is also the time when girls suddenly get broke because they are expected to give chocolates to their acquaintances, family members and the like. XD;

How about the guys?

Well, they have **exactly** one month to respond to the girl they like, thus, they have a White Day on March 14. :3

And that is the time I will update next. :D

Thank you for reading, and please review!


	2. Chapter 2: Sanbai Kaeshi

I am so sorry for the late update.

I have been much too busy trying to get better grades in school and somehow, I have recovered. However, I don't think it is safe to say that I can relax now. I need to work harder though. Despite this, I hope I can balance both my fic writing and my school work. I also hope that the quality of my stories won't 'deteriorate' as well.

Anyways, it should have been posted on the 14th, but because I really had no idea for the ending at that time, I decided to postpone the posting and think up of a better way to end the fic. I hope it won't disappoint anyone.

Disclaimers: I do not own Pokemon.

* * *

White Valentine

* * *

**Chapter 2: Sanbai Kaeshi**

* * *

Exactly three weeks had passed since her confession.

Hikari had somehow gotten over it, but the memory still pained her. No, it wasn't because she was rejected, but because of the cost of the chocolates. Twenty thousand was still twenty thousand. Money never grew on trees, after all, and she felt like she had really been cheated. The person she had confessed to was such an ass, and her mind wonder why the hell she was bold enough to have given him an expensive box of chocolates that she ended up giving to the older brother instead.

But then again, the pain eased a bit after she saw the look on Reiji's face when she had handed the honmei chocolate to him.

But of course, that Valentine's Day hadn't gone smoothly as well…

* * *

"_Hikari-kun, daijoubu?"_

_The blue-haired girl nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "D-daijoubu…" she said quietly._

_The two were currently in Veilstone Park just near the department store, just like they had agreed upon, but instead of the good news that Shinji's older brother was expecting, he knew that something had went horribly wrong. Hikari was crying when he found her later, the honmei chocolates were still in her arms, and she was cursing his brother. If words could kill, Shinji would have dropped dead by now._

"_Oh come on now. No need to get so worked up over it." He said, trying to comfort the girl._

_However, it backfired._

_Reiji suddenly had to cover his ears._

"_**I SPENT TWENTY THOUSAND FOR THOSE CHOCOLATES!! TWENTY THOUSAND!! THE MONEY!! THE MONEY!! IT DOESN'T GROW ON TREES, ALRIGHT?! YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT!!**_

_After the outburst, she suddenly calmed down and slumped against the bench. "Sorry for that… that's the only way for me to calm down, Reiji-san…"_

"_Don't worry about it." Mentally, he noted to himself never to anger Hikari._

"_Anyways… here. Thanks for all the help, Reiji-san." She handed the box of chocolates, but not before clarifying, "Please just think of this as giri chocolates, and not honmei." She gave him a forced smile. The coordinator knew that she still needed to look like she was very much sincere about giving away her precious chocolates._

_He nodded his head in gratitude and smiled wordlessly at her._

_Several minutes had passed… then…_

"_A-anou… i-it seems that… I am too late…"_

_The pair's heads suddenly whirled around at the source of the voice._

_It was Veilstone City's Gym Leader, Sumomo._

_In her hands was a box of honmei chocolates, similar to the one Hikari had bought._

_Reiji suddenly stood up from the bench. "Sumomo… I…"_

_The pink-haired girl shook her head. "N-no need to explain, Reiji-san…" Sumomo understood it well; Reiji had someone he liked._

_She half-expected it to be Hikari. After all, the older man called her by a special nickname…_

_Hikari blinked at the sight before it. Did Sumomo think that she had just confessed to Reiji?_

_Her love life was ruined…_

_She won't ruin this one!_

_Not when it was already slapping her in the face!_

"_Oh, but he does." Hikari stood up as well, walked over to where Sumomo was, took her hand and led her to Reiji. "Talk about it, you two." She took Reiji's hand as well and let it hold Sumomo's. Shinji's older version and the gym leader both blushed a bright red upon contact_

"_Sumomo-san__ please don't misunderstand. Those chocolates… I only gave it as a giri chocolate. Please don't think that I like Reiji-san. I do like him, but only as an older brother. The other one… well, that's the one I liked before. Anyways, good luck to the two of you." Before either of the two could open their mouths, the coordinator walked away._

_Despite the fact that she hated that day…._

_Despite the fact that it pained her that her twenty thousand went to waste…_

_Despite the fact that she felt hurt…_

_She was happy._

_Not long after the incident, Reiji and Sumomo started going out._

_All thanks to her._

* * *

"Soooo, Shinji… what will you be giving on White Day?"

It was the week before White Day, and the two brothers decided to go to the department store to go shopping, as well as to head to the grocery. The two men went shopping for newer sets of clothing, to look around the department for anything new and to get the latest Pokétch application.

When they went off to the grocery, Reiji was suddenly stocking up on the chocolates. "Aniki, what are you doing?"

"Well, I want to indulge myself in giri chocolates this White Day. But of course…" he then got one whole box of honmei chocolate from the rack. "I'll be giving one to Sumomo."

Shinji rolled his eyes. Until now, he couldn't believe that his brother had that weak gym leader for a girlfriend. "I have a question. How did you and her got together anyway?" somehow, it had managed to catch his attention.

"Hikari-kun set us up!"

Shinji inwardly flinched at the name.

"And? What did the troublesome girl do? She stuck her nose into something she's not supposed to be involved in?"

"That 'troublesome girl' you're talking about gave ME the chocolates she was supposed to give to you…" Reiji suddenly felt irritated and shot a rare glare at his younger brother's direction. "Sumomo misunderstood, but Hikari-kun was nice enough to clear up the mistake."

"Hmph. What a meddling girl."

"'Meddling girl', eh? Want me to tell the 'meddling girl' how you almost choked on YOUR honmei chocolates?"

Reiji smirked a 'Shinji-like' smirk when the younger of the two glared at him as best as he could.

"_Tadaima!"_

"_Finally. Where have you been!? Shinji was currently washing the dishes, as well as the frying pan he had used earlier to cook his dinner. A Shinx was standing over the sink, mesmerized at the sight of the suds. "Aniki! Answer me!"_

_Reiji snapped out of his daydream. "Ah, gomen. I was just thinking of which chocolate I'm going to eat first."_

"_You got chocolates?" the Pokémon trainer stared at the two boxes. "Both look the same to me."_

"_The other one was from Hikari-kun." He informed Shinji._

_The younger one was startled at the fact. How could that stupid girl…!_

_How dare she give those chocolates to Reiji!_

"_Give it."_

_Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Give what?"_

"_Give it to me, aniki." He caught on._

_Shinji wanted the chocolates._

"_I thought you hated chocolates."_

"_Not anymore!"_

_Before the old brother could react, Shinji suddenly snatched the box of chocolates that had his name on it, ripped the packaging and began munching away on the truffles. Reiji nearly sweatdropped at the sight._

"Shut up, aniki." 

"I'll shut up if you get some ramen from aisle sixteen."

Snorting at the demand of his older brother, Shinji grudgingly went towards the next aisle as Reiji smiled to himself and began to push the grocery cart to the aisle nearest to him, which was aisle ten. On the corner, he turned, but not before bumping against someone else's cart. "Oh, I'm so sorry about that… Hikari-kun?" he echoed the last word, surprised at seeing the girl exactly three weeks after that… incident.

"Ah, Reiji-san. Nice to see you." Hikari smiled at the older brother of her former crush. "Shopping for White Day?" she asked, staring at the amount of white chocolates that were in the cart. She then noticed a big box of chocolates and smiled.

"I see you have a gift for Sumomo-chan."

"Of course." The older version of Shinji grinned.

"Pikari!! a brown-haired boy suddenly called out. "Found the white chocolate blocks!"

"Thanks for finding it, Kengo." She grinned at her fellow coordinator, who nodded at her. He then placed the bag of chocolate on the shopping cart, along with some chocolate bars that Reiji had recognized to be giri chocolates. "Are we all set to pay?"

"We still lack some toiletries." Her friend informed her.

Hikari nodded. "Alright. Let's hurry up then; we're running out of time." she then waved her hand at the older man. "See you later, Reiji-san."

It was strange.

Hikari was… different today. Though she still had an aura of an energetic young woman, there really was something wrong with her. Reiji couldn't put his finger unto it, but he knew that something was up. And it was something serious…

Just as the two were exiting aisle ten, Shinji appeared.

Hikari stopped the pushing of the cart and stared at him.

Kengo blinked at the sight of Shinji.

Shinji was at a loss for words.

Reiji decided to observe, thinking that it would be the answer to the puzzle. Somehow, he was also curious as to how the young woman would react after seeing Shinji again. His bet was that she would be embarrassed and would even feel awkward.

The breeder's guess was wrong.

"Shinji." Hikari nodded at his direction, blue eyes turning hard. The way she had even said his name sounded so cold. "If you'd excuse me…" she resumed the pushing of her cart and went to the next aisle, Kengo trailing behind, but not before glaring at Shinji as well.

When the two went off, the younger of the two brothers sighed and dumped all of the ramen in the cart. Reiji had tried to ask him about it, but the trainer refused to talk about it.

Shinji was clearly upset.

* * *

Three days had passed. The sudden meeting with Hikari had really left Shinji confused.

Reiji wanted to help out, but he too was at a loss as to what advice he should give. Even Reiji's girl, Sumomo, couldn't help out, for she had little experience when it came to the matters of the heart. He did not dare ask Hikari, for he knew that she might just get angry again when the topic they would talk about was Shinji.

It was already evident that she hated him.

She had made sure of that fact.

Reiji decided to take the risk.

He opened up the topic to his brother.

"Will you be getting Hikari-kun anything for White Day? You have four days left to buy."

"… What if she doesn't accept it?"

"Well…"

"I'm not talking about white chocolates that every guy will give on that day. I'm going for the _other one_."

Reiji tried to contain his surprise. Apparently, his brother was going for the _sanbai kaeshi_. That would mean that he was to pay her back a present that would amount three times the _honmei_ chocolate that she gave him a month ago, which would amount to sixty thousand Poké Yen. The amount was ridiculously high, the breeder noted, but it was a custom. A custom not usually followed because of financial constraints, but a custom nonetheless.

"Any ideas what to give her then?" the elder of the two asked.

"… That's my secret for now."

"Okay. Just as long as you won't embarrass me or yourself, we'll be fine." Reiji then disappeared, walking off to the kitchen to prepare their dinner.

Shinji sighed.

It was decided.

He surely was going to embarrass himself with what he was about to do…

* * *

White Day.

March 14.

The day Shinji hated the most.

Not only was he going to embarrass himself for the second time, but he was about to do the most ridiculous thing in his life (as of now, mind you).

When was the first time, you ask?

It was two days ago, March 12.

"_Irrashaimase!" greeted the store clerk._

_Shinji nodded in her direction, silently praying in his head that she wouldn't think of him as being part of the… perverts who had fetishes. First off, he was not a pervert. He never was. Second, he just wanted to buy _her_ something nice for White Day. It was the least he could do to make up for what he had done. Last… well, what the heck. He just wanted to get this done and over with._

"_I need a dress."_

_The store clerk nearly laughed at such a request, but seeing the rather stern expression on his face, she bit her lower lip. "For your girlfriend, sir?" the question was the safest thing she could ask._

"… _Something like that." He admitted tightly._

"_I see. What style would you like, sir? Sweet Lolita? Gothic Lolita? Wa Lolita? Punk Lolita?"_

_He really had no idea as to what those were, but Sweet Lolita was definitely out. Someone like that troublesome girl was far from being 'sweet'. On the contrary, she had a fierce personality, most especially if she was pissed. He almost had gotten a kick from those pink boots of hers when they had been younger, if it wasn't for her other friend who had held her back._

_The clerk then got a dress from the rack. "This is the Wa Lolita style."_

_Shinji shook his head, as if to say 'no'._

_She took another one. "Gothic Lolita style?" she held up another dress. The one she had held up was a jumper skirt. It was a thin strapped black dress with frills on the ends. The torso part for the body was colored back with white frills surrounding it. At the end of the straps were two small black ribbons. The black skirt had white lace running one inch away from the hem while frills ran at the hem. At the back of the dress was a black ribbon._

"_Looks better." He commented._

"_What would her size be?"_

"… _I'll take the medium." He really had no idea what her size really was._

_The clerk nodded, taking note of it. "How about accessories, sir?" she asked._

_Shinji had let her show him the accessories that went with the dress. He took a pair of black socks with white laces on the top with mini black ribbons, a small black hand bag, black Mary Jane shoes with the 'space' on the shoes having a shape of a heart and a black and white headpiece._

_All in all, it cost him sixty-two thousand Poké Yen._

_It was more than enough to repay her for the _honmei chocolates_ that he had received…_

Right now, he was in the park, the paper bag containing the dress in his right hand. Reiji had helped him out, telling Hikari that he was to meet up with her in the park to give her her chocolates. So right now, he was hanging out with his brother and the Veilstone City Gym Leader, who were currently cuddling by the benches. The purple-haired trainer looked away in disgust.

"Reiji-san!"

In came the female coordinator in her usual outfit that she had not seem to outgrown. The usual black vest, pink skirt, black socks, pink boots, red scarf and white parka were her signature clothes.

"Ah, just in time." the older male stood up and handed a bar of white chocolate._"Omedetou."_

She grinned at Reiji and bowed. _"Arigatou gozaimasu, Reiji-san."_

Before Hikari had the chance to raise her head, Shinji had stepped forward.

"Take it." The Pokémon trainer took her right hand, handed over the paper bag and began walking away…

He didn't want to see her reaction.

He anticipated it anyway.

* * *

Despite the fact that Hikari had wanted to throw away the paper bag, she couldn't.

Despite the fact that Hikari hated him, she did not scream at him nor treated him coldly like what she had did a few days ago.

Despite all this.. then why did she grip unto the bag as if her life depended on it?

Was it because she still had feelings for Shinji? It may be so.

After all… he responded to her gift last Valentine's Day.

She excused herself right after she had gotten the present and headed back to her flat.

Nervously, she opened the bag as best as she could with her shaky hands and gaped in shock at the gift. Not only was the EGL outfit expensive, but it seemed that Shinji had opted to buy one of the most expensive dresses in the store. She counted the items in the bag and did an estimation of the total cost. If she had been correct, everything had cost above thirty thousand Poké Yen.

She nearly screamed.

He even bought the whole set!

Quickly, she tried on the outfit…

Unfortunately, the dress did not fit her well because it was a bit loose. The socks were a bit too high for her dress, and her shoes were a bit loose as well. The headdress seemed to be the only thing that had been right…

Shinji had somehow been wrong with his estimations, but really, she had to give him credit for what he has done.

No one in his right mind would even buy a whole set of EGL outfit for a girl.

No one except him.

She smiled to herself.

There was a still a chance after all.

A chance to get to know each other more.

That was a start.

* * *

**Epilogue**

* * *

In Reiji and Shinji's house that night, the video phone rang. Since Reiji had a date with Sumomo, the younger one had no choice but to answer it himself._"Moshi moshi."_

_"Kombanwa!"_

In the screen was Hikari clad in the outfit the young man had given her.

"… _Kombanwa_. You seem to like it." He commented, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, ignoring the strange feeling he was having right now.

"Of course! Thank you!" she said happily.

_Back to normal so soon? _"Are you look for Reiji? He's out tonight."

Hikari laughed. "No. I wanted to talk to you, actually."

He nearly raised an eyebrow. "What about?"

"Well… I want to thank you for the gift. And also…" she stuttered, thinking of a better word for 'spending time together' without sounding so forward.

"Would you like to hang out sometime?" he finished. When she nodded, he replied, "Hmph. Let's see."

"Thanks! Tomorrow, in Hearthome, at lunch! I'll be wearing this! Good night!"

The screen turned dark.

The young man let a small smile escape his lips.

It was a date, then.

Maybe he wouldn't be part of the NGSB club after all…

* * *

**END**

* * *

Notes:

Sanbai kaeshi - literally means 'paying back thrice the amount'. This is a custom followed by guys when it is White Day.

Omedetou - Means congratulations. Said during the giving of the gifts during Valentine's Day and White Day.

Moshi moshi - greeting on the telephone.

Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL) - what the title means. This is a fashion style wherein girls wear Victorian Era type of dresses. It had many styles, and I shall elaborate the popular ones here:

_Sweet Lolita -_ as what it implies, girls wear dresses that are pastel colored.

_ Gothic Lolita - _basic type of EGL. Colors are either all black or white. Combination of black and white, red and black and the like fall into this category.

_ Wa Lolita - _Fusion of kimono and EGL style of fashion.

_ Punk Lolita - _EGL and punk-ish clothing.

_Ouji-sama _- literally means 'prince'. EGL for the boys. Girls can also wear this. 

Also, for those who are curious as to how much Shinji had spent for the present, here's the current conversion rate of the US Dollar and the Euro with the Yen: 

USD 625

EUR 405

Expensive? It sure is!

* * *

I hope you all had fun reading this fic! Thanks a lot! Please do review. :3

* * *


End file.
